By One Estimate, Early Empires Widened Male Inequality Toward a Hundredfold
Most women had children, while a few powerful men had many and many other men had none.
Modern Wisdom · How War Shaped Human Evolution - David Geary - #1172In hunter-gatherer societies, the spread in number of children was about three times wider for men than for women. By one estimate, in early empires that men's-versus-women's gap widened to roughly a hundredfold.
Most women had babies, differing mainly in how many survived. Men divided more sharply between fathers of many and men who had none. Researcher David Geary interprets the imperial pattern as dominant men in China, India, and elsewhere in Eurasia taking many wives and eliminating rivals.
Geary suggests the sharp loss of male family lines was probably tied to this inequality around 5,000 to 7,000 years ago, but the dating is uncertain and there is no historical record. Empire building followed about 4,000 years ago and continued into the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Genghis Khan, credited with about 800 children, shows how extreme the top could get. Across traditional and modern societies, culturally successful men tend to have better marriage prospects and more children.
Questions people ask
How do scientists measure reproductive inequality from thousands of years ago?
They compare DNA passed down through fathers with DNA passed down through mothers. When many more female lines survive than male lines, it suggests fewer men fathered children. Modern population studies add detail by linking men's status to marriage and family size.
Why did farming and empires make inequality so much worse?
Stored food, land, and organized armies created prizes worth seizing and defending. Winners could support multiple wives and households while using coalitions and weapons to remove rivals. In smaller mobile groups, there was simply less wealth and power to concentrate.
Does this winner-take-all pattern still affect men today?
The extreme harems and conquests are largely gone, but the link between cultural success and family formation persists in milder form. Across many societies, men with higher income, education, or prestige are more likely to marry and have children. The differences are far smaller than in early empires.